Today, patients interact with physicians in the doctor's office, hospital, operating room, emergency department, home setting, nursing home, hospice facility, and in person, via phone, and increasingly through secure Internet portals. With every interaction, physicians live out a lifelong personal commitment to serving patients.

In recognition of National Doctors' Day, March 30, we honor them for their service and commitment.

Whatever mission or motivation brings an individual to medicine as a career, he or she has chosen an arduous journey. The path winds through college, medical school and residency curriculum; relentless examinations from MCAT to USMLE to board certification (and recertification throughout one's career); and the thousands of hours invested in learning and caring for patients at their bedside. This life path takes its travelers away from family and friends, often delaying traditional milestones (such as marriage and children) until one's medical education is complete. Of course, a physician's education is never "complete". The men and women of medicine cultivate a lifetime habit of learning for their patients and for themselves. This journey is chosen and, in a time of great change and uncertainty in the American healthcare delivery system, it is undertaken with courage and faith.

The emotional and financial costs of this journey may be steep, but the rewards of this profession are priceless. As clinical physicians, we have the joy of nurturing, teaching and supporting patients and their families throughout their lives; this is a deeply gratifying experience. In the dark in the radiology room or in the squint of the microscope, specialists give us insights into a patient's anatomy that determine an accurate diagnosis and plan of care.

Physicians commit to professional competence and scientific knowledge, to honesty with patients, protection of patient confidentiality and maintenance of appropriate boundaries. Inherent in the work of a physician is the expectation to improve quality of care, access to care, and to consider fair utilization of finite resources.

Physicians strive to maintain trust by managing conflicts of interest and commit to professional responsibilities, including working collaboratively to maximize patient care within systems and within the communities they serve.

There are many changes underway in medicine including how physicians practice and are paid, figuring out how to serve the growing number of newly insured, and how to participate with all members of the community to improve overall health and wellness. And so, the journey continues.

We are grateful for the full engagement and participation of doctors throughout our nation and we thank them for their ongoing commitment to their chosen profession on Doctors' Day 2014.